Ryanair flight slides off runway in snow

A Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flight from Dublin slid off the runway after landing at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow in icy conditions.

The Boeing 737, which was carrying 129 passengers, is believed to have hit a patch of ice as it taxied towards the terminal, which sent it sliding onto the grass verge at the edge of the runway.

There were no reports of any injuries and all passengers were evacuated, though the runway was temporarily closed on Wednesday morning to allow emergency services to remove the aircraft.

In a statement, Ryanair said: Ryanair engineers are at the aircraft, which appears to have suffered no damage, and they are working with Glasgow Prestwick to return the aircraft to the stand area so that the runway can be reopened with minimum delay.

""Ryanair apologises for any disruption suffered by passengers as a result of this incident.""

Strathclyde and airport firefighters have ensured the runway is safe.

Meanwhile, an American Airlines (www.aa.com) flight broke in two when landing at Kingston airport on the holiday island of Jamaica, injuring dozens of passengers.

The Boeing 737, which had taken off from Miami International Airport, was attempting to land at Norman Manley International Airport during a heavy rainstorm with 148 passengers onboard.

The plane's fuselage cracked on impact and as it skidded along the runway its right engine broke off and part of the landing gear collapsed. Passengers were evacuated via the emergency exits.

Four people were taken to hospital with serious injuries and dozens of others were admitted with cuts and bruises.

Anyone who had a family member on the flight may contact the airline by dialing the local AT&T Access telephone number which can be found at www.usa.att.com/traveler which will then allow them to dial American for free at 0800 245 0999.

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